


the one

by rey_kenobae



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, M/M, i will add more tags as time goes on
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23311216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rey_kenobae/pseuds/rey_kenobae
Summary: in which Chandler is just helping his best friend Joey Tribbiani practice kissing for an audition.
Relationships: Chandler Bing/Joey Tribbiani
Comments: 21
Kudos: 362





	the one

THE ONE WHERE CHANDLER FREEZES

Chandler should be very happy right now. He’s got a stable job, a good apartment with his best friend, and a fantastic woman currently discussing which renaissance art museum they should visit online.

He should and _would_ , except for the teensy, almost unnoticeable fact that Joey has been filling their living room with infinite pleas for Chandler to kiss him for the past ten minutes.

“C’monnnnn, c’mon, c’mon, c’mon it’s just one kiss”, the insufferable man said.

Chandler didn’t even raise his eyes from the computer. “No.”

“I _really_ need this job, _Chan_.”

“I know you do, _Joe_.”

“Then let me kiss you!”

Chandler didn’t answer, and instead looked at Joey, who was making a scene, half-laying on the kitchen table and looking at Chandler. Joey slowly lifted his eyebrows expectantly. Silence, blessed silence was what Chandler heard for several seconds.

Finally, he gave his final remark. “No.”

Joey moaned extensively (Chandler ought to have a talk with the upstairs neighbors one of these days to explain _that_ ) and got up from the kitchen table, “Okay then. I just thought you were a _real friend_ ,” he proclaimed with emphasis, and sat down on his reclined chair with his arms crossed.

Chandler pinched his nose. How, oh how did he put up with this every day? He sighed and went back to chatting with the online female beauty, who was now dissing the Lyon museum for its disregard to the up and coming artists.

He started writing a response, but his computer keys were suddenly too loud, his breath too audible, with the apartment finally quiet after ten minutes of constant bickering. Too quiet. He lifted his head from the screen and closed his eyes. Nothing. No sound at all.

Chandler swore that Joey had never been this much of a _pain_ in the _ass_.

He opened his eyes and considered his options. One kiss couldn’t hurt, right? And it would bring Joey back to his not-annoying-but-also-not-radio-dead self. He turned around and looked at Joey, still sitting in the same position and looking straight to the black screen of the tv with his arms crossed. From where he was sitting, Chandler couldn’t see his face, but if he could, he knew that Joey’s lips would be making the infamous Joey pout.

Chandler sighed. “Okay, I guess you can kis-”

“Great, let’s do it!,” Joey said, already standing up. Chandler blinked. One moment Joey was sitting, and the next he had already stood up and was rocking himself ever so slightly with his arms moving back and forth. He smiled that devilish smile of his. Oh, this was _so_ not going to go well for Chandler.

Chandler waved his finger. “Okay,” he paused, and continued, “A couple of rules: no touching where it isn’t strictly necessary-“

“Does touching faces or necks count? Because I need it to be realistic, I’m training for-“

“The audition yes, we know,” Chandler pinched his nose. He inhaled loudly and opened his arms while slumping his shoulders, and said, “Okay, I guess you can touch faces or necks, but that’s it, got it? No wandering around other stops of Chandlerland. The train stops at the shoulders. And another rule: only one kiss, no repetitions or anything, are we clear?”

“Yeah, I got it,” Joey nodded. And didn’t stop nodding. Just as Chandler was opening his mouth to tell him to hurry up and just kiss him already (words he never thought he would say), Joey crossed the distance between them, took Chandler’s face between his hands, and kissed him.

Chandler froze. Joey’s lips were so much warmer than he thought, surprisingly… gentle? Yeah, they were gentle against Chandler’s own lips. Which, he now realized, were unmoving. That was a problem. He was supposed to move them, he was helping Joey so he could kiss a man, not a statue, damn it! But Joey’s hands left his face to rest at Chandler’s neck, caressing the back of his hair, the line of his jaw, and Chandler’s nerves lit up and he didn’t move because he couldn’t move, not with nerves acting up like that, not with his head thinking only of where his best friend was touching him.

Joey stepped back. Chandler, mouth slightly open, looked at him. Joey frowned. “I know you said only one kiss, but if you don’t move then this is no use!,” Joey whined, and made a motion to leave.

Chandler blinked. He was right, of course, stupid Chandler, why can’t you kiss your best friend like a normal person? He caught Joey’s arm and turned him around. “Sorry, sorry, you can go one more time.“

Joey raised an eyebrow and inspected Chandler, as if he could visualize the truth if he looked hard enough. Chandler fidgeted, suddenly self-conscious. Then, Joey finally said, “Okay, one more kiss, just, you know, kiss me back and all that.”

 _As if I could control that_ , Chandler thought sarcastically. But he stopped himself before he could say it out loud, because then it would beg the question, _Why? Why did he uncontrollably freeze while kissing Joey?_

So he just shrugged, “Okay then,” and leaned forward.

This time Chandler started the kiss, and he focused on keeping his lips moving. Joey moved his hands to either side of Chandler’s neck, touching his ears, his hair, the slight stubble on his jaw, and Chandler kissed harder, buried his thoughts with every nudge he made. _Don’t think about him._ Joey smiled against his lips and Chandler took his face between his hands. _Don’t. Think._ They bumped noses and Joey’s “Hey, careful!,” were muffled by Chandler’s lips as they kept going. _Don’t you dare think._ As he tried not to think, Joey started to move his hands up, through Chandler’s hair, and Chandler slipped and gave in, barely stifling a moan that thankfully got lost in Joey’s lips.

He forced himself to stop. With a loud noise, they separated, and Chandler shivered as he felt the cold air where Joey’s hands had rested moments ago. Joey didn’t move and just looked at Chandler with his lips slightly open and panting, and Chandler felt like he offered the same picture. After a few seconds (or minutes, or hours, or just a microsecond, who knows, certainly not Chandler), he noticed his hands were still on Joey’s shoulders and he instantly removed them.

 _Did he notice that I… moaned? Oh my god, he did, and he now thinks I’m a freak, and I lost my best friend, and I’ll never have another best friend in my life, and it’s my fault, why couldn’t I be normal for once._ Chandler looked at Joey and tried to decipher what he was thinking, but Joey just stared at him.

After an eternity where Chandler thought the worst, Joey said, “Okay, thanks! I think I got it!,” patted Chandler’s shoulder and passed him. As Chandler turned, Joey opened the door and said, “I’m running late now, I gotta go, bye!,” and closed the door behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello dear reader! So, this scene in 2x24 has become quite a popular one for the Chandler x Joey community, and I decided to be basic and write it as well. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated since this is my first time posting on ao3 :) Not likely that i will continue, but you never know, and neither do i :) which is v great :)


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